One Slice More
by zelda3469
Summary: Poor little Link all alone in the Lost Woods... What happens when a mysterious presence lurking in the shadows confronts him?


****The boy without a fairy had always been teased by his counterparts. He was different from all the Kokiri; it was as if he wasn't even was one of them. His hair was a dirty blond and lacked a greenish hue. He also grew – unlike Kokiri – and was a head taller than all of them.

Each and every day of Link's ten years life was full of nothing but hurtful slander. All the others found something to ridicule him for, be it his height, his hair, or the lack of a sparkly companion.

"What a loser! The Great Deku Tree doesn't even deem you worth of a fairy! He must think you're some sort of freak!"

"Look at his hair! It's yellow! Did someone pee on his head?!"

"Haha! His head hit the beam above the door! What a giant oaf!"

Their words hurt. They bothered Link, and made him believe he truly was a freak. Everyone knew he didn't belong in the Kokiri Forest. He was just so different. The child would sit alone for hours some days, wondering why he didn't fit in with his kind. Perhaps he wasn't a Kokiri... But what was he then? A monster? That couldn't be right. Link had always been nice. He never hurt any of the others, verbally or physically.

Link did his best to distance himself from the rest of the Kokiri, trying to avoid their stinging words. Some nights he would sleep in the Lost Woods, afraid of Mido's threats to set his small home aflame while he was asleep. Blades of long grass would poke him through is clothes, or rocks would dig into his skin when the child attempted to relax and fall into a deep slumber. On occasion the he would be stirred from his sleep – if he ever fell asleep – by a Deku scrub, eager to sell something. Sometimes an odd skeleton creature, dressed dirty orange rags, would be playing an old wooden flute before asking if the boy would like to join him.

There was one chilly night in particular where Saria, the most kindhearted of the Kokiri, tripped over Link while he slept. She gazed at him, her blue eyes filled with sympathy as he sat up. The boy's eyes were glossy with tears threatening to cascade down his cheeks. He was frightened by her presence. He didn't want anyone to know where he hid most nights, where he studied the shining stars before – on occasion – falling into a restless sleep.

"I won't tell the rest..." she whispered, her eyes locking with the boy's. Looking over her shoulder, Saria took a blanket from her small leather pouch and offered it to the child shivering on the ground. Link hesitantly reached for the green fabric before snapping his hand back.

"I can't take that from you... I'm a freak, not worthy of your kindness," he mumbled as he pulled his knees up to his chest, expecting the girl to just leave. Saria frowned. She took a step towards the boy and draped the woolen blanket over his broad shoulders.

"Don't say such things about yourself," she crooned, crouching down beside the blonde. She flashed a warm smile before reaching into her pouch again. The green-haired girl took the thin boy's hand, her small fingers easily curling around his bony wrist, and placed a small bag of wild berries in the palm of his hand.

"I hope this helps..." she whispered. Link looked into the girl's face, shocked. Saria brushed his long sloppy bangs behind his pointy ears prior to standing. She gave another soft grin before disappearing down a winding path, leaving Link alone with only the moonlight and his thoughts as company.

Eying the brown bag in his hand skeptically, the child shook his head, a few tears leaking from his the corners of his puffy eye. No one had ever shown him hospitality or tolerance... Was this some sick joke, or did someone really care?

After tucking the little bag in his pocket, Link grabbed onto the edges of the blanket and wrapped the warm fabric around his body. It served as protection from the cold air, unlike his leaf green tunic which was torn and full of holes, a few large enough for the child to stick his arms through. He sat in silence, letting salty tears trickle down his face.

"Why so sad?" mocked a voice calling from the shadows cast by the thick forest. "You're different... aren't you?" Chilling air swirled around the defenseless child until foggy clouds came with each of his labored breaths.

"They don't want you around," boomed the voice, before it cackled heartlessly. "I can help you, if you would like." Link trembled as he tightened his hold on the blanket, as if it would protect him from the world's greatest evil. His long ears twitched as the freezing wind whistled before abruptly vanishing into nothingness. The fine hairs on the back of the boy's neck stiffened as he clasped his eyes shut. Everything had gone completely quiet, except for his own breathing.

He refused to listen to his instincts, telling him to spring up from the ground and chase after the girl who had been so kind. Link rocked from side to side, convincing himself that he was imagining things again. So many restless nights had taken their toll; it only made sense that he was hearing things.

Link let out a high pitched squeal, not anticipating the hand that had latched onto his neck from behind. Lanky fingers curled around the child's throat as the voice murmured into his ear, "What do you say child? I can make all your miseries disappear... All you need is ask." Link opened his mouth only to find that his voice had abandoned him. His silent screams accompanied with his struggle to break free enthralled the malicious creature gripping his frail neck.

"Help..." Link finally managed in a raspy voice as he clawed at the skinless hand. Hysterical laughter filled the child's ears as he was lifted into the air, now struggling frantically to breathe.

"As you wish!"

"Ah!" There was a sharp, stinging pain, and blood began to flow from a deep gash in the boy's chest. The hand carelessly released him, and he crumpled to the ground like a marionette. Link clenched his eyes shut and howled in agony as his life source gushed over his arms and onto the blanket Saria had given him. The same hand that had once been holding Link's neck was now gripping a clump of his blond hair. He was forced onto his meager knees before another two bloody slashes joined the first. Just like the first slice the other two tore through the layers of tissues beyond the skin. Gasping, the child wrapped his arms around his torso, trying to keep his insides inside with the flap of skin.

"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" Shiny tears were streaming down Link's face as one final cut was bestowed below his stomach, making a complete rectangle out of the scarlet lines.

A wad of red covered pink landed in a messy heap on the grass. Link's arms dropped to his sides, dangling lifelessly as he stared at nothing with a blank expression. His attacker chuckled heartlessly as he watched everything spill out of the boy and pile on the ground. Satisfied with the gory sight, he surrendered his hold on the child's hair.

Gravity pulled Link onto his back, leaving him to gaze at the stars above. The frigid night air nipped at his bloodied arms as he gazed at the twinkling stars dancing by the full moon. The evil presence had returned to the dark shadows of the trees, leaving the boy to die in peace. The shrieking pain dulled into a gentle throb as blood continued to seep from his body at a listless pace and stain the healthy green grass a dark crimson. Thin pink lips stretched into a timid smile as small eyes, blue as roaring ocean waters, slid shut, allowing the young child to fall into a comforting sleep from which he would never wake.

**Inspired by a poem Eva wrote!**

**One slice more**

**And then he's down**

**The child bleeding on the ground**

**Clutching his stomach to keep his insides inside**

**Tears trailing slowly from his eyes**


End file.
